A few months ago I saw a right corker of a tribute band. Now while I don't often rant about cover bands, this one did a pukka job. Pink Fraud are returning to Chinnery's club on Marine Parade, Southend on August 25 for another grand Pink Floyd stage show
Schoolboy Richard Harle has been reunited with his bike which was stolen two weeks ago. Richard, of Rectory Road, Hawkwell, had his bike snatched from a field behind his home on August 2. The nine-year-old thought he would have to spend the long summer
A printing and communications company is preparing to make a £2 million move to Chelmsford, bringing new jobs with it. Clifford Thames Printing Company Ltd - a part of the Clifford Thames Group - opens its new site at Dukes Park next month. More than
A total of 12,000 pigs have been slaughtered in East Anglia with suspected swine fever. This includes several hundred pigs on a Fordham farm - and the results are expected on pigs at a Tendring farm in the next few days. The highly infectious disease,
A lightning strike badly damaged two cottages in Wix. Four fire engines were called to deal with the blaze in Harwich Road last night. About 20 firefighters tackled the fire throughout the night and some were still there today. No-one was at either of
A quick-thinking dad rolled up his sleeves and jokingly asked the bemused family dog to bring hot water and towels as he delivered his partner's baby on their living room sofa. All through Sasha Holmes' pregnancy partner Mark Norman helped with breathing
A man admitted pestering his ex-girlfriend with unwanted visits, advances and demands for sexual favours. Leon Carrington, 24, of Blenheim Park Close, Leigh, pleaded guilty to harassing Carly Donovan between July 1998 and the start of June this year.
Police appealed for help today after a 30-year-old man lost the tip of his finger and suffered a five-inch slash to the back of his head in a violent attack. The victim was recovering at home following the frightening assault which happened in the early
High achieving students have earned their schools places in the top ten grammar and comprehensive schools with A-level successes. According to ranking released by the Press Association and based on the average number of UCAS points achieved by pupils
Motorists are to face a hike in car parking charges for the first time in two years in Basildon - but the town is still the cheapest in Essex. All town centre car parks owned by Town Centre Management will see a rise of up to 20p in charges from September
Big new fire-fighting pumps and a sewage treatment station to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds are to be built on Southend Pier this winter. Contractors are due to move on to the mile-plus Grade II listed structure in the next few weeks to begin work
Southend residents are set to meet councillors and developers to discuss the future plans for the old gasworks site. The meeting will be held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7.45pm. Representatives from national companies
The distraught grandmother of a child snatched by her father today spoke of the fight the family faces to get her home. Julie Pace's two-year-old grand-daughter Kiah was taken by her father, Zeki Emin, on April 27, after his weekly visit. After months
Rampaging yobs are causing havoc in Billericay, spitting at shoppers, dragging a trailer into a lake, smashing windows and stealing property. Police are stepping up patrols and warning vandals there will be an increase in high-visiblity officers staking
Firefighters say a smoke alarm may have saved lives when a blaze broke out in a Halstead home. A family in Stanley Road escaped unhurt and were able to call the emergency services after the fire started in a bedroom. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus
A woman suffered serious injuries in an accident on the A12 which caused hours of traffic chaos. The woman, who is believed to have got out of her Audi to examine it after it hit the central reservation, was then involved in a collision with another vehicle
Police were today hunting three men after a late night ram-raid which led to a dramatic police chase through Wickford. The gang, wearing balaclavas, drove a Mitsubishi Shogun through the front window of Costcutter in Alderney Gardens and up-rooted a cash
A gas engineer turned on the heat to become a national watersports champion. Danny Rylett took the intermediate title in wakeboarding, a sport described as snowboarding on water. Mr Rylett, 27, won at the JMC Wakeboard Nationals in Middlesex. He has been
Essex turned in another poor performance while suffering a crushing six-wicket defeat at the hands of Hampshire in yesterday's National League Clash at Colchester. Too many Essex batsmen paid the penalty for ill-disciplined strokes, while the bowlers
Residents were forced to flee a block of flats after a fire broke out. Three fire engines were called to the incident at a ground floor flat in Langham Drive, Clacton, just before 2am yesterday morning. A fire spokesman said initial reports said there
A coastguard search for an elderly couple sailing from Southend to Holland ended happily at Tollesbury Marina yesterday. The couple and their 28ft yacht the Mon Ami were found at the marina on the River Blackwater after changing their plans, unaware that
An anxious mum has told of her fears for her sons' safety after the bus they were due to catch to school next month has been axed. Gavin Chinery, 13, is a pupil at the Colne Community College in Brightlingsea and his 11-year-old brother, Ben, is due to
Colchester's Gay Switchboard has been thrown a lifeline after its headquarters were devastated by lightning last month. A phone system worth £1,800 has been donated to the valuable service after its old one was rendered useless by a bolt of lightning.
Royal Mail bosses have revealed they have stepped up security after two postmen from Basildon were jailed for dumping mail and going home early. Brothers Clark and Richard Manning, of Laindon Hills, Basildon, did not deliver tens of thousands of letters
Plans to turn Lakeside Shopping Centre's pavilion into restaurants and snack bars have been met with disappointment by councillors. They are concerned that what was once described as Lakeside's answer to Covent Garden will disappear - and that they will
Witham's Majorettes are on their way to represent England in the world Twirling Championships in Prague thanks to an appeal through the Essex Chronicle. The youngsters needed to raise £3,500 in just three months, and with time running out they appealed
